UB: Venue change for Wednesday's Distinguished Speakers Series kickoff with Nyle DiMarco

Deaf activist and reality TV star Nyle DiMarco will speak at the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts Mainstage Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to kick off UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series.

DiMarco had been scheduled to appear at Alumni Arena.

Guests are asked to bring their Alumni Arena tickets to the CFA, where they will be given comparable tickets for the Mainstage Theatre. This may be done as early as 5:30 p.m. Guests who planned to pick up their tickets at will-call at Alumni Arena should instead pick up their tickets at will-call at the CFA.

Doors to the Mainstage Theatre open at 6:30 pm.

University officials are reaching out to ticketholders via email, text message and other means to alert them of the venue change. For additional questions and accessibility information, visit http://www.buffalo.edu/ub-speakers/visitor-info/accessibility.html or call 716-645-6147. Guests can also ask ushers for assistance upon arrival.

A press release said, “DiMarco empowers others to believe they can do and be anything they want in life, no matter the obstacle. He won the mirror ball trophy on ABC’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ (season 22) and was the last model standing on The CW’s ‘America’s Next Top Model’ (cycle 22). Born into a multigenerational deaf family, he is an honorary spokesperson for Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) and founder of the Nyle DiMarco Foundation, which works to improve the lives of deaf people around the world.”

DiMarco co-produced the 2018 return to Broadway of “Children of a Lesser God,” starring Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff. DiMarco was also a creative collaborator on The ASL App, created by native deaf signers to teach conversational American Sign Language.

The press release continued, “DiMarco has a passion for language, literacy and advocacy within the deaf community and beyond. Believing that his deafness is ‘an asset rather than a limitation,’ he builds a bridge between the deaf and hearing by shining a light on not only the struggles, but also the triumphs of the deaf culture.”